Means for evacuating and pressurizing a hollow body



J. DEANE May 19, 1964 MEANS FOR EVACUATING AND PRESSURIZING A HOLLOW BODY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct.

INVENTOR, JOfl/V 54 A/f ATTORNEY J. DEANE May 19, 1964 MEANS FOR EVACUATING AND PRESSURIZING A HOLLOW BODY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10, 1962 INVENTOR JUH/V flf4/Vf ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,133,519 MEANS FOR EVACUATING AND PRESSURIZING A HOLLOW BODY John- Deane, 1998 Rideau River Drive, Ottawa 1, Ontario, Canada Filed Oct. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 229,552 11 Claims. (Cl. 114-125) This invention relates to means for evacuating and pressurizing a hollow body primarily for use in apparatus for producing a rolling movement of a ship.

It is often necessary to subject a ship to rolling during exercising or fortrial purposes. A known method of producing such rolling is to fasten tanks, open at the bottom to the sea, to each side of a ship, and by introducing pressurized gas to said tanks or evacuating same, to lower the water level in one tank and raise the water level in the other tank simultaneously and vice versa, thereby causing the required rolling. Such devices tend to be bulky and also use elaborate mechanical means for controlling the masses of water in the tanks. Furthermore, such devices often are built into the ship on a permanent basis, thereby unnecessarily taking up valuable space in the ship.

According to the present invention, I provide an improved means for evacuating and pressurizing a hollow body or tank suitable for use in a ship rolling device. For this purpose, I provide a hollow tube open at both ends and having a constricted throat portion intermediate its ends, one of the ends being adapted for connection to a hollow body or tank, and a pair of nozzles located in the tube and adapted for connection to a source of pressurized fluid, the nozzles being mutually opposed and located at or near the opposite ends of the constricted throat portion. With two such tubes communicating with the upper regions of two open bottomed tanks arranged one on each side of the ship, means are pro vided in combination therewith to permit gas to be injected into the tank on one ,side of the ship simultaneously with the ejection of gas from the tank on the opposite side of the ship, and vice versa, to produce a rolling of the ship. In order to achieve a maximum roll of the ship, electrical means are provided to control the reversal of flow of the gas.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-section through the hull of a ship showing tanks arranged on either side and hollow tubes connected to the top of the tanks, and a schematic representation of the connection between a source of pressurized gas and the hollow tubes, including valve means and valve control means;

FIGURE 2 is a more detailed view of one of the hollow tubes shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a circuit diagram of the electrical means I 3,133,519 Patented May 19, 1964 with openings 11 and 12 at the extreme ends, and having a constricted throat portion 8 intermediate its end portions 9 and 10, the end portion 10 being adapted for connection at opening 12 to a hollow body such as tank 2 (FIGURE 1) around an opening in the hollow body. Also shown in FIGURE 2 is a pair of nozzles 19 and 20 located in tube 5, the nozzles 19 and 20 being mutually opposed and located at or near the opposite ends of constricted throat portion 8. The nozzles are adapted for connection to the source of pressurized gas 27 through pipes 17 and 18 inside tube 5, and pipes 15 and 16 passing through openings 6 and 7 in the side wall of end portions 9 and 10. 1

Referring again to FIGURE 1, there is shown gasconducting conduits 21, which may be flexible air hoses, connected to pipes 15 at upper side wall openings 6 and gas-conducting conduits 22 connected to pipes 16 at lower side Wall openings 7. Conduit 21 from one of the tubes 5 is connected to conduit 22 from the other of tubes 5 at junction 23 and similarly, the other conduits are connected at junction 25. Junctions 23 and 25 are connected to pressurized gas source 27. Solenoids 42 and 43 are shown to control the opening and closing of valves 24', 26 and 24, 26' respectively, and constitute part of an electrical control means 30 (which is described in more detail in FIGURE 3) which controls the operation of the valves automatically in response to the rolling movefor controlling the operation of the'valve means auto- I matically in response to the rolling movement of the ship.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a ship 1, 'having tanks 2 arranged on opposite sides of the ship with their lower portions 3 open and in communication with the surrounding water, the upper portions 4 being 'above the level of the surrounding water and filled with ment of the ship;

In operation, as pressurized gas is admitted to nozzle 19 of one of the hollow tubes 5, the Water in its asso ciated tank 2 will be driven downwards below the surrounding water level, thereby exerting an upward thrust on the tank. When pressurized gas is admitted to nozzle 20 of a hollow tube 5, the water in its associated tank 2 will be drawn upwards above the surrounding water level, thereby exerting a downward thrust on the tank. The admission of pressurized air from source 27 to nozzles 19 and 20 is controlled by solenoid-operated valves 24, 24', 26', and 26 and electrical control means 30 in such a manner that air is admitted simultaneously to one nozzle 19 and one nozzle 20 on opposite sides of the ship and alternately to the other nozzles 19 and 20 simultaneously, thereby producing a rolling motion of the ship.

In order to achieve maximum roll, the direction of flow of the pressurized gas should reverse at the most opportune moment. When the gas is switched from the upper nozzle 19 to the lower nozzle 20 of a hollow tube, or vice versa, as the ship is going through a rolling movement in one direction, it takes a finite time for the pres sure inside the tanks to revert to atmospheric pressure in preparation for the return movement of the ship. The solenoid valves 24, 24', 26' and 26 should therefore be switched over a finite time ahead of the. beginning of the desired return. With a ship loaded for rolling it has a natural period which does not change noticeably with the amplitude of roll. Therefore, regardless of the amplitude of roll, switch over of valves 24, 24', 26', and 26 should take place before the ship reaches its point of maximum roll by an amount of time equal to the aforesaid finite time it takes for the pressure of the gas inside the tanks to revert to atmospheric pressure.

For example, with a ship having a natural period of ten seconds, utilizing two 27 inch diameter tanks ten feet long, wherein the water is caused to rise and fall 30 inches aboveand below its natural level by varying the air pressure in the tanks, it takes slightly more than one second for the pressure to revert to atmospheric pressure after the valves have been switched over. Therefore, the switch over should take place slightly more than one second before the point of maximum roll or, in other words slightly less than 1 /2 seconds after the ship passes through its vertical position.

In order to achieve the switch over of the valves at the most opportune moment, an electrical control means is provided such as shown in FIGURE 3. This electrical control means comprises solenoids 42 and 43 for operating valves 24', 26 and 24, 26', respectively, roll sensitive means for operating solenoids 42 and 43 and shown as mercury switches 31 and 32, and time delay means adapted to delay the response of solenoids '42 and 43 to the roll sensitive means by a predetermined interval of time. The time delay means comprises a first activating circuit, a timing network, a second activating circuit and a solenoid switching circuit. The first activating circuit includes make contact 34a and break contact 34b of relay 34. The timing network includes variable resistor 40 and capacitor 41, the second activating circuit includes electron discharge device 33 and relay 35, electron discharge device 33 having a control grid 36, a cathode 37 and an anode 38, relay 35 having make before break contacts 35a and 35b. Finally, the solenoid switching circuit includes relay 34, having make contacts 34c, 34d and break contact 34:: in addition to contacts 34a and 34b described above as comprising the first activating circuit. Mercury switch 31 has two operating positions 1 and 2 and mercury switch 32 has an operative and an inoperative position, both switches acting in response to the roll of the ship 1 (FIGURE 1) through its vertical position.

A circuit is provided from ground through position 1 of mercury switch 31, contact 3412 of relay 34 when deenergized, the junction 39 of resistor 40 and capacitor 41, to grid 36 of electron discharge device 33, and another circuit is provided from ground through position 2 of mercury switch 31, contact 34a of relay 34 when energized, the junction 39 of resistor 40 and capacitor 41, to grid 36 of electron discharge device 33. A further circuit is provided between a source of high positive potential B{ and ground through resistor 40, junction 39, capacitor 41. Anode 38 of electron discharge device 33 is connected through the winding of relay 35 to the source of high positive potential. Voltage dividing resistors 44 and 45 are serially connected together from the source of high positive potential to ground. Cathode 37 is connected to the junction of resistors 44 and 45 to maintain the potential on the cathode 37 at a constant proportion of the source of high positive potential. Current will start to flow in the anode of electron discharge device 33 when the potential of its grid 36 approaches that of its cathode 37. The time interval from disconnecting junction 39 from ground until electron discharge device 33 draws current is controlled only by the time constant of resistor 40, capacitor 41 and the ratio of resistor 44 to resistor 45. This time delay is thus insensitive to wide changes in voltage of the source of high positive potential. Current fiow in anode 38 immediately energizes relay 35.

A path is provided from the source of high positive potential through contact 35a of relay 35, mercury switch 32 and the winding of relay 34 to ground, to provide an energizing path for relay 34 when relay 35 is energized and mercury switch 32 is in its operative position. Another path is provided from the source of high positive potential through contact 35b of relay 35, contact 340 of relay 34 and the winding of relay 34 to ground, to provide a holding path for relay 34, if already energized, when relay 35 is de-energized.

The energizing and tie-energizing of relay 34 provides an energizing and deenergizing path for solenoids 42 and 43 respectively through contacts 34d and 34e. Solenoids 42 and 43 are operatively connected to valves 24', 26 and 24, 26', respectively, as shown in FIGURE 1. When solenoid 42 is energized it maintains valves 24, 26 open and valves 24, 26 closed; similarly, when solenoid 43 is energized it maintains valves 24, 26' open and valves 24', 26 closed.

In describing the operation of the circuit of FIG. 3, it

is assumed that, at the start, the ship is resting in its vertical position. Thus, mercury switches 31 and 32 are in their inoperative positions. When it is desired to start the ship rolling, the electric power and air system are turned on by conventional switches (not shown). Since mercury switch 31 is in its inoperative position, the potential of grid 36 will be greater than the potential of cathode 37, and current will flow in electron discharge device 33 energizing relay 35. This will make contact 35a; but, since switch 32 is open, relay 34 will remain de-energized, contact 342 will be made, contact 34d will be broken, solenoid 43 will be energized, and solenoid 42 will be tie-energized, maintaining valves 24, 26 open and valves 24, 26 closed. Looking at FIG. 1, as air under pressure from source 27 is admitted through open valves 24, 26 the ship (that is, the centerline of the ship) will roll to the left.

As the ship rolls to the left, mercury switch 32 is moved to its operating position, and relay 34 will be energized, thereby making contact 34d and breaking contact 34c. Through its contacts 34d and 34e, energized relay 34 will energize solenoid 42 and de-energized solenoid 43, opening valves 24, 26 and closing valves 24, 26. The energizing of relay 34 also returns grid 36 to ground potential through contact 34a, mercury switch 31 now being in operating position 2, thereby de-energizing tube 33 and relay 35. As the contacts 35a and 35b are adapted to make before break, relay 34 is held energized through contacts 35b and 34c when relay 35 is de-energized.

As pressurized gas is admitted through open valves 24', 26, the ship starts to roll to the right. As the ship passes through its vertical position, mercury switch 31 leaves operating position 2, ground is removed from junction 39 as contact 34b is now open. capacitor 41 charges again, and after the predetermined time interval, during which the ship continues to roll to the right, as provided by the time constant of resistor 40 and capacitor 41 and the ratio of resistor 44 to resistor 45, current again flows in anode 38 and relay 35 is again energized. The holding circuit for relay 34 is broken upon the energizing of relay 35 and since mercury switch 32 is in its inoperative position, relay 34 is de-energized, solenoid 43 is energized and solenoid 42 is de-energized. Thus, valves 24, 26 are opened and valves 24, 26 are closed. Relay 34, tie-energized, returns grid 36 to ground through contact 3412, thereby de-energizing electron discharge device 33 and relay 35. Mercury switch 31 is now in operating position 1, and mercury switch 32 is in inoperative position. Under these conditions grid 36 is maintained at ground potential and tube 33 is de-energized. As pressurized gas is fed from source 27 to open valves 24, 26', the ship starts to roll to the left, and mercury switch 31 leaves operating position 1 removing ground from grid 36. The cycle is now complete and will repeat itself so long as the ship continues to roll. The delay interval between the ship passing through its vertical position and the switch over of solenoids 42 and 43 can be adjusted, as required, by varying the resistance value of resistor 40, thereby changing the time constant of resistor 40 and capacitor 41. In the specific example described above, the time constant may be varied between 0.7 and 2.5 seconds. By choosing the proper time constant for re sistor 40 and capacitor 41, and the proper ratio of resistor 44 to resistor 45, a maximum rolling effect is imparted to the ship.

The embodiments of the invention in which an ex elusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A ship rolling device, comprising in combination two tanks adapted to be mounted on opposite sides of a ship with the tmks having their upper portions filled with gas and their lower portions open and in communication with the surrounding water, first means connected to the upper portions of the tanks and adapted to alter the volume of gas in the tanks, second means connected to said first means to permit gas to be injected into the tank on one side of the ship simultaneously with the ejection of gas from the tank on the opposite side or" the ship, and vice versa, to produce a rolling of the ship, said first means comprising two hollow tubes each open at its ends and having a constricted throat portion intermediate its ends, one end of each tube communicating with the interior of its associated tank and the other end being open to the atmosphere, and a pair of nozzles located in each said tube and connected to a source of pressurized gas, said nozzles being mutually opposed and located at or near the opposite ends of and in alignment with said constricted throat portion, each said tube defining a path for pressurized gas at least between the interior of the associated tank and the nozzle remote from the tank.

2. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 1, in which said second means comprises valve means for controlling the flow of pressurized gas to said hollow tubes, and electrical means for controlling the operation of said valve means automatically in response to rolling movement of the ship.

3. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 2, wherein said electrical means comprises solenoids for operating said valves, roll-sensitive means for operating said solenoids, and time delay means adapted to delay the response of said solenoids to said roll-senstiive means by a predetermined amount of time.

4. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 3, wherein said time delay means comprises a first activating circuit, a timing network, a second activating circuit and a solenoid-switching circuit, said timing network being energized and de-energized in response to said roll-sensitive means under control of said first activating circuit, said timing network being operatively connected to said second activating circuit, such that said second activating circuit is energized a predetermined interval of time after e ship rolls through its vertical position, said second activating circuit upon being energized, energizing said solenoid-switching circuit to switch over said solenoids in response to rolling movement of said ship in one direction, and de-energizing said solenoid-switching circuit to switch over said solenoids again in response to rolling movement of said ship in the opposite direction, said second activating circuit upon being de-energized while said solenoid-switching circuit is energized providing a holding circuit to hold said solenoid-switching circuit energized.

5. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 4, wherein said timing network comprises a resistor and a capacitor connected in series.

6. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 5, wherein said resistor and capacitor have a time constant variable between 0.7 and 2.5 seconds.

7. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 5, wherein said second activating circuit comprises an electron discharge device, having at least a control grid, a cathode and an anode, and a first relay, having a winding and make before break contacts, said grid being connected to the junction point of said resistor and capacitor, said anode being connected to the winding of said first relay,

and biasing means for said electron discharge device, whereby current will flow in said anode in response to a predetermined voltage applied to said grid, current flow in said anode energizing said first relay, the energizing of said first relay being adapted through its contacts to 6 energize or de-energize said solenoid-switching circuit in response to said roll-sensitive means.

8. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 7, wherein said solenoid-switching circuit comprises a second relay, having a winding and make and break contacts, the energizing and de-energizing of said relay being adapted through its contacts to switch over said solenoids.

9; A ship rolling device as defined in claim 8, wherein said second relay has a make contact connected between its winding and said one contact of said first relay to provide said holding circuit for said second relay.

10. A ship rolling device as defined in claim 9, wherein said first activating circuit comprises further make and break contacts of said second relay, and said roll-sensitive means comprises first and second mercury switches, said first mercury switch having first and second operating positions and an inoperative position, said second mercury switch having inoperative and operative positions, said first mercury switch when in its first and second operating positions being adapted to connect a ground to the junction of said resistor and capacitor through said furtner break and make contacts, respectively, said second mercury switch when in its operative and inoperative positions adapted to close or open a circuit between the other of said contacts of said first relay and the winding of said second relay.

11. A device for imparting a rolling motion to a ship comprising:

at least two hollow tanks adapted to be mounted on the opposite sides of a Water-borne ship and having their lower ends open and submerged in the water surrounding the ship;

open ended tubes connected to the upper portions of, and communicating with the interiors of said tanks for altering the volume of gas in said tanks, at least one of said tubes being connected at its open lower end to each tank;

a pair of nozzles in each tube adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized gas, one of said nozzles facing downwardly, towards its associated tank, and the other of said nozzles facing upwardly, away from its associated tank;

and means connected to said tub% for simultaneously introducing pressurized gas first to the downwardly facing nozzle on one side of said ship and the upwardly facing nozzle on the opposite side of said ship, and then alternately introducing gas simultaneously to the upwardly facing nozzle on the said opposite side of said ship and downwardly facing nozzle on the said one side of said ship, thereby alternately injecting gas into the tank on one side of the ship while ejecting gas from the tank on the opposite side or" the ship to impart a rolling motion to said ship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,888,667 Hort Nov. 22, 1932 2,338,147 Von Den Steinen Jan. 4, 1944 2,889,509 Gorzelany et al. June 2, 1959 2,902,964 Waas et al. Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 366,797 France Oct. 12, 1906 

11. A DEVICE FOR IMPARTING A ROLLING MOTION TO A SHIP COMPRISING: AT LEAST TWO HOLLOW TANKS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A WATER-BORNE SHIP AND HAVING THEIR LOWER ENDS OPEN AND SUBMERGED IN THE WATER SURROUNDING THE SHIP; OPEN ENDED TUBES CONNECTED TO THE UPPER PORTIONS OF, AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIORS OF SAID TANKS FOR ALTERING THE VOLUME OF GAS IN SAID TANKS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID TUBES BEING CONNECTED AT ITS OPEN LOWER END TO EACH TANK; A PAIR OF NOZZLES IN EACH TUBE ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED GAS, ONE OF SAID NOZZLES FACING DOWNWARDLY, TOWARDS ITS ASSOCIATED TANK, AND THE OTHER OF SAID NOZZLES FACING UPWARDLY, AWAY FROM ITS ASSOCIATED TANK; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TUBES FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING PRESSURIZED GAS FIRST TO THE DOWNWARDLY FACING NOZZLE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID SHIP AND THE UPWARDLY FACING NOZZLE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SHIP, AND THEN ALTERNATELY INTRODUCING GAS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO THE UPWARDLY FACING NOZZLE ON THE SAID OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SHIP AND DOWNWARDLY FACING NOZZLE ON THE SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID SHIP, THEREBY ALTERNATELY INJECTING GAS INTO THE TANK ON ONE SIDE OF THE SHIP WHILE EJECTING GAS FROM THE TANK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SHIP TO IMPART A ROLLING MOTION TO SAID SHIP. 